ˈfræktʃə n. & v. --n. 1 a
breakage or breaking,
esp. of a
bone or
cartilage. b
the result of breaking; a
crack or
split. 2 the
surface appearance of a freshly
broken rock or
mineral. 3
Linguistics a the substitution of a
diphthong for a
simple vowel owing to an
influence esp. of a
following consonant. b a diphthong substituted in
this way. --v.intr. & tr. 1
Med.
undergo or
cause to undergo a fracture. 2 break or cause to break. [ME f. F fracture or f. L fractura (as FRACTION)]